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Democratic Uncertainty: From Boulding’s Images to Downs’s Ideology

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Listed:
  • Julien Grandjean
  • Cameron M. Weber

Abstract

Reading Boulding’s The Image: Knowledge in Life and Society (1956) in light of recent work in public choice homo politicus theory sheds light on today’s partisan politics. Complex depersonalized societies and limited time in the democratic process means that voters make non-logical decisions based on expressive images as simple as “good” and “bad” (Brennan 2008). We find that this work by Boulding can be related to Downs (1957). In his well-known An Economic Theory of Democracy, Downs develops the importance of political ideology in electoral processes. But what is ideology if not expressive images? In this paper, we relate these two works, written at the same time, about the same subject but without referencing each other. Both Boulding and Downs build models which place an emphasis on the role of mental ideas to overcome imperfect information in representative democracy. Additionally, both theorists find that this uncertainty is what can make democracy a fragile form of governance.

Suggested Citation

  • Julien Grandjean & Cameron M. Weber, 2024. "Democratic Uncertainty: From Boulding’s Images to Downs’s Ideology," Working Papers of BETA 2024-14, Bureau d'Economie Théorique et Appliquée, UDS, Strasbourg.
    • Handle: RePEc:ulp:sbbeta:2024-14
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    File URL: http://beta.u-strasbg.fr/WP/2024/2024-14.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Geoffrey Brennan, 2008. "Psychological dimensions in voter choice," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 137(3), pages 475-489, December.
    2. Strom, Gerald S., 1975. "On the Apparent Paradox of Participation: A New Proposal," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 69(3), pages 908-913, September.
    3. Anthony Downs, 1961. "Problems of Majority Voting: In Defense of Majority Voting," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 69(2), pages 192-192.
    4. Anthony Downs, 1957. "An Economic Theory of Political Action in a Democracy," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 65(2), pages 135-135.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Anthony Downs; Kenneth Boulding; Political ideology; Images; Democracy.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • B2 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - History of Economic Thought since 1925
    • B31 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - History of Economic Thought: Individuals - - - Individuals
    • D72 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior
    • D81 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Criteria for Decision-Making under Risk and Uncertainty

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